KNOW WHO YOU ARE, KNOW WHAT YOU ARE NOT

I know the title of this particular post seems a bit strange but as you read it, I hope you understand what I am trying to convey.

Family traditions can be great, but they can cause some people to behave as if they have traveled back in time. Old roles get replayed, old expectations resurface, and that is not always a good thing. It was stressful enough dealing with my parents when I was sixteen. Now it is really tough even at the age of 42. Especially when you request your guests to merely take off their shoes and that small request makes the other person become hateful. It literally put him in a nasty mood all day and ruined our entire Christmas. Asking someone to take off their shoes in YOUR home is not offensive. It is simply asking someone to respect your home. We weren't singling that one person out. It is a general rule in our house regardless of what time of year it is. The last thing we expected was for someone to tell us to “shove your floors up your ass.”

As my son said “Merry Christmas to all.” Wow!!!! I guess for some of us, ‘tis the season to go emotionally haywire!

I KNOW who I am and I KNOW that I would have never been upset if someone asked me to take my shoes off (especially since it had snowed the day before and it was starting to melt). Because to me family is much more than that. Family means respecting each other, not just showing your unconditional love to them. Family means spending time with them without trying to see who can leave the fastest on such an important day! Family is spending time with each other without being hateful and grumpy! Family is LOVE and communication and without those two, well family isn’t much.

We are over our disappointment in how our Christmas Day turned out and I will leave you with this thought…. During this time of holiday magic, I wish for you snow lightly falling, friends and family abounding and an angel on your shoulder wherever you may go.